Carrying forward its nationwide crackdown on Digital Arrest crimes under Operation Chakra-VI, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested 05 more accused persons, taking the investigation a decisive step closer to unravelling the full network behind these frauds.

The CBI had earlier mounted a major offensive against the syndicates behind the menace of Digital Arrest, launching coordinated searches at 89 locations spanning 20 States across the country in three major cases, acting on the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, which had taken serious note of the alarming scale of these crimes and directed the CBI to act decisively against the perpetrators and the wider networks facilitating such offences.

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Of the three cases in which these coordinated searches were conducted, one pertains to BITS Pilani, where the victim was kept under digital arrest for 03 months and defrauded of Rs. 7.67 crore by scammers impersonating police officers. In another, in the State of Gujarat, the victim was similarly held under digital arrest for 03 months and defrauded of Rs. 19.24 crore. The third case, from the State of Karnataka, involved a victim digitally arrested for a month and defrauded of Rs. 15.45 crore.

These searches had earlier led to the arrest of 03 accused - Akash of Haryana, who received Rs. 1.95 crore of the defrauded amount into an account he had himself opened and swiftly moved onward the same day; Raja Karmakar of Kolkata, into whose firm's account Rs. 1.5 crore of the fraud proceeds was routed; and Smt. Jyoti Rani, who withdrew part of the credited proceeds in cash and transferred the remainder onward — establishing their direct and knowing roles in laundering the fraud proceeds.

Building on this breakthrough, the CBI made arrests of 05 accused persons involved in receiving, layering and dispersing the fraud proceeds. Sanket Bastwar and Pankaj Damade, both from Itarsi, deceitfully obtained a bank account, accepted the proceeds of the 'Digital Arrest' into it, and actively participated in dispersing the money to obscure its trail. Arif @ King Bhai, Harish Purushottam Yadav @ Harry (New Delhi) and Shashank Singh @ Ravi (Ghaziabad, UP) were all involved in arranging the bank account used to receive the money from the victim of 'Digital Arrest' and to further layer it across multiple accounts.

Arif @ King Bhai, Harish Purushottam Yadav @ Harry and Shashank Singh @ Ravi were also found to have installed a malicious apk file on the account holder's mobile phone, through which they intercepted the bank's SMS alerts to covertly operate the account. Investigation is now revealing the elaborate organised network which these persons were part of and how the entire money movement was carried out by the network.

With these arrests, the total number of persons apprehended in these cases has risen to 08. Efforts are underway to track down and apprehend the remaining accused involved in the wider network.

Further investigation in these cases is underway.

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Mumbai: NorthEast United FC owner John Abraham believes Indian football is set for a “huge paradigm shift” with Indian Super League (ISL) clubs taking a greater role in running the country’s top-tier competition from the upcoming season.

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The 2026-27 ISL, beginning Oct 10, will return to its traditional home-and-away format, featuring 163 matches across eight months. Last season was played in a truncated single-leg format after administrative and commercial uncertainty delayed the competition.

Abraham said the club-led structure could mark a turning point for Indian football.

“Football will be the new cricket in India from this year because the club owners have taken over the league. You will see a huge paradigm shift in Indian football from this season, and as one of the owners, I’m hoping to see that change,” Abraham said at the unveiling of NorthEast United’s new official jersey.

“All the owners in the Indian Super League want football to do better in the country. We’re all very cohesive as we want to make this work. So, we’re hoping for the best,” he added.

On July 8, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and ISL clubs reached an agreement allowing the clubs to run the country’s top-tier competition for at least two years.

The AIFF handed the ISL’s commercial rights to the clubs for four years, with an option for them to exit unilaterally after two years. The federation will retain administrative and regulatory functions.

Abraham also highlighted the challenges of running NorthEast United as a single owner while competing against teams backed by large corporations.

“As a single owner competing with multi-billion-dollar corporations, we’re punching above our weight. We’re really proud of ourselves and our region,” he said.

“We’ve got the Northeast into the main fold with partners like Reebok, along with other public and private sector entities supporting us. That speaks about the confidence in the league and in the sport.”

NorthEast United have won consecutive Durand Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, and Abraham believes the club can now challenge for its elusive ISL crown.

“We’re looking forward to the ISL starting next month, and we are going to fight for the title,” he said.

Abraham said the club’s significance extends beyond results on the football field, describing it as a unifying force for the region.

“Today, NorthEast United FC is not just a football team. We’re a movement. The Northeast has seen a lot of civil tension, but the only exception to every rule has been our football club, which has been a binding factor,” he said.

Thirteen teams are set to compete this season, with the play-offs also returning. The top six will contest the ISL Cup, while the team finishing first in the league stage will be crowned Shield Winners.

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